The Deliberator V1-Sept 2014v2-Final-Final

Why I want to Organize
By Jen Kovacs
Investigator, Malden District Court
I live in Jamaica Plain, work as a Criminal Investigator for the Public Defender
Division of the Malden District Court
and will be transitioning into a role as
the Somerville Superior Court Investigator in 2015. I have been with CPCS for
almost three years, first as an Admin
with CAFL, and as a Criminal Investigator since May 2013.
I believe I possess an uncanny ability to
get people to divulge to me their
deepest darkest secrets. I think obtaining additional training and education
will only strengthen my abilities as an
investigator and to be a zealous advocate for our clients. I am applying to the
evening Law School programs at
Suffolk University for a Masters in
Criminal Justice and a JD and the New
England Law Program as well for
admission into the class of 2019. Please
keep your fingers crossed!
A good investigator needs three things:
humility, integrity and a good memory.
Ideally, a great investigator has all of
those things working for them at the
same time.
My favorite part of the job is getting to
meet our clients. Too often I get an
investigation requesting that I speak to
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The Deliberator
involved parties, victims and witnesses,
but do not actually get to meet the
client I am doing all of this work for. I'm
overjoyed when I am afforded the
opportunity to speak to them and put a
face and a story to their name, which
adds meaning to their yellow folder in
my briefcase. My least favorite part is
waiting in court on days that I may have
to testify. I am not cut out for sitting
around and waiting. Oh, and traffic.
There's lots of sitting in traffic.
I am passionate about prisoner rights
and LGBTQ issues. I am one of only a
dozen female investigators that work
for the CPCS Public Defender Division (I
may have counted wrong but I don't
think so), and often feel like a minority
as one of the few 'out' queer women I
know working for the Public Defender's
Office with CPCS. I think having an
opportunity to increase my involvement with community groups such as
GLBTQDVP or Black and Pink would
increase my connection to this community as well as my visibility as a queer
woman at CPCS.
It is the harsh reality that in my 'spare'
time I am working multiple odd jobs to
pay the bills--CPCS unfortunately does
not pay me a salary that is livable in
Boston. Whenever possible, I like to
attend community organizing events.
Through the hard work of my fellow
colleagues and our union, we will
obtain salary adjustments and livable
wages so that I can begin to participate
in more community organizing!
My immigrant father is a laborer and he
helped form a union at the university
he worked at. The university dismissed
him for helping to form that union.
Thirty years later, despite his termination there is now a union with collective
bargaining to facilitate fairness in hiring
and firing, and other issues they may
encounter. I believe that the power of a
union, especially ours, comes through
agency wide participation and collective mobilizing and unity. This mobilization can come in the form of signing a
union card, attending the monthly
meeting if you are able to, or simply
Fall 2014
showing solidarity. Everyone can be of
service and play a part in their own way,
but I believe agency-wide support for our
union is what will really cause it to gain
traction and facilitate change. As one of
the lowest paid employees in the entire
agency, I believe with all of my heart that
involvement in this organizing campaign,
in whatever way possible, is critical for us
to see systemic changes in the way we are
valued by CPCS, the Legislature and the
Commonwealth.
Pro-worker Candidates
that need your help:
Mike Day for State Representative
District: 31st Middlesex
Website: http://electmikeday.com/
Michelle Dubois for State Representative
District: 10th Plymouth • Website:
http://www.electmichelledubois.com/
State Senator Jason Lewis
District: 5th Middlesex • Website:
www.electjasonlewis.com
Barbara L’Italian for State Senate
District: 2nd Essex & Middlesex • Website:
http://teambarbara.com/
Matt Patrick for State Senate
District: Plymouth & Barnstable • Website:
www.electmattpatrick.org/
State Representative Frank Smizik
District: 15th Norfolk • Website:
www.facebook.com/repfrankismizik
State Representative Tim Toomey
District: 26th Middlesex • Website:
http://www.timtoomey.org/
State Representative James Miceli
District: 19th Middlesex
State Representative Ken Gordon
District: 21st Middlesex • Website:
https://www.facebook.com/KenForStateRep
State Representative Marcos Devers
District: 16th Essex
Website: http://marcosdevers.com/
Doug Bolanger for State Representative
District: 17th Worcester • Website:
https://www.facebook.com/belangerstaterep
Representative Denise Andrews
District: Second Franklin
Representative Steve Kulik
District: First Franklin
All candidate were endorsed buy the
SEIU Local 888 Committee on Political Action.
Fall, 2014
Vol.1.3
Free
The Deliberator
The Deliberator, Fall 2014
a newsletter that is by and for the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) Local
888 Mass Defenders Chapter.
By: DJ Cronin, Organizer
CPCS Statewide Conference: Following the CPCS Conference in Worcester
on May 15, 2014, SEIU Local 888 hosted
a post-conference reception at the
Hilton Garden Inn. Several CPCS
co-workers leafleted the conference
and over 100 people attended the
reception. Rachel Scotch, Ben Evans
and Organizing Director Karen “Rudy”
Renaud spoke. In addition we the
debuted the Mass Defenders song
“Stand With Us” written and performed
by artist Erin McKeown. As a result,
many more Mass Defenders signed up
for the organizing campaign.
Bread & Roses Festival: The 30th
Annual Lawrence Bread & Roses
Heritage Festival commemorates the
1912 Lawrence Textile Strike where
more than twenty thousand textile
workers from more than 51 different
countries walked out of their mills over
a wage cut and poor working conditions. The festival is held annually on
Labor Day to remember the strikers
and their sacrifices and features food,
music, theater, history tours and
speakers. In this year’s Lawrence
History Live!, Gabriela “Gaby” Robin,
Trial Attorney at Lowell District Court
and Gerasimos “Makis” Antzoulatos,
Trial Attorney at Boston Superior Court
spoke about the history of the organizing campaign at CPCS and asked
audience members to contact their
State Representatives and urge them
to pass HB 2389 to give us the right
under Massachusetts law to organize.
Regional Meetings: Anyone who
would like to set up a regional meeting
for their office, please contact organizer DJ Cronin at (978) 387-0585 for
Greater Boston and north; organizer
Mass defenders at the post conference union reception in Worcester, from left to right:
(Carl Williams, Gerasimos "Makis" Antzoulatos, David Grimaldi, Alyssa Hackett, and M. Barusch)
Ian Woolverton at (508) 667-7056 for
southeastern Massachusetts and Cape
Cod; and organizer Rudy Renaud at
(413) 475-0895 for Worcester and
Western Massachusetts.
Ask Frankie:
In this column
Frankie, our resident
union cat, will
address any concerns
you may have. If you
have any inquiries
email Frankie’s mom
at [email protected]. She isn’t
allowed on the computer but her mom
will pass along the question.
Hi Frankie. Long time no see.
Here’s my question. Now that the
legislation has been reported
favorably out of committee, what
happens? I mean, isn’t the legislative cycle over on December 31st,
and isn’t it tough to get anything
done in the state house between
now and then?
Yes, sorry, it has been a long time. I’ve
been busy napping in the sun all
summer. But now I’m awake and ready
to answer your questions. Though very
soon I will be settling in for my winter
hibernation in front of the woodstove
with a can of tuna close by.
Now that our legislation has been
reported favorably out of committee,
we will work towards getting it passed
before December 31st. And yes, it is
possible between now and then to get
something done. History has shown
that.
On the same note, let’s not kid
ourselves, it’s harder to get a bill
passed now than it was six months
ago. A lot of the legislators are gone,
either running or working on cam-
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Upcoming Events
State Wide Organizing Meeting:
10:00 am Sat. October 18
@ the Worcester Office
330 Southwest Cutoff
Worcester, MA 01604
House Visits Nov. 8
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paigns. It’s an election year. But, still,
things do happen. We’ve come this far
and we’re not giving up now!!!
Legislative Update on House
Bill 2389
By: Dan Hoffer, Political Director
What can we do to help move our
bill forward?
Well, for one, it’s an election year. Get
out there and work on a legislative
campaign for any one of our supporters in the House and Senate. Even if
your particular representative does not
have a contested race, there is probably one not far from you. For instance,
in the beautiful Pioneer Valley Representative Denise Andrews is going to
have a tough fight against her Republican opponent. We don’t want to lose
her because she’s expressed strong
support for our bill. If you live
anywhere near Franklin County you
could email her campaign and offer to
go canvassing, or do phone calls. And
definitely let her know that you are
from CPCS and are working on her
behalf because she supports our
legislation.
Get out there and work on
a legislative campaign for
any one of our supporters
in the House and Senate.
On the last page of this issue there is a
list of all our friends in the legislature
who are running for re-election. So it
should be easy to find someone to
help.
Also, help us sign and re-sign your
colleagues up on cards. Or come to a
statewide meeting, or set up your own
regional meeting.
Dan Hoffer
House Bill 2389, An Act Relative to
Collective Bargaining for Employees of CPCS has come a long way.
Since its filing in January 2013, we
have had many lobby visits, in-district
meetings, and a very successful
hearing. All of which has led to H2389
being favorably released from the
Joint Committee on Public Service
(JCPS) on July 28, 2014. This is a
milestone for our bill and sends a
message to all involved that this bill
has "legs."
Currently HB 2389 is in the House
Committee on Ways and Means. Given
that the formal session ended on July
31, our bill will have to be moved in
the informal session.
Here is how the informal session
works: Since our bill was favorably
released from JCPS, and referred to
House Ways and Means, HB 2389 can
be brought up at any time between
now and January 2, 2015. There will
be several informal sessions between
now and January. Most likely they will
start up after the election on November 4, 2014.
Every year hundreds of bills are dealt
with in informal session. However, it is
important to note that it only takes
one vote against a bill in an informal
session to prevent its passage.
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The Deliberator
Fall 2014
Taking all that into consideration, we
continue to feel very positive about
our chances in the legislature. We will
continue to work with our allies in the
House and Senate to move this bill to
the floor for a vote and then on to the
Senate. As we engage leadership in
both branches of the legislature, we
will let you know the best time and
place to make your voices heard.
BREAKING NEWS: MA Bar
Association Discovers Public
Defenders are Underpaid
by Ian Woolverton, Organizer
In December 2013, the Massachusetts
Bar Association (MBA) commissioned
a Panel – the Massachusetts Bar
Association Blue Ribbon Commission
on Criminal Justice Attorney Compensation -- composed of former judges
and legal practitioners to study low
pay for lawyers working in the criminal justice system for the Commonwealth and its impact on workers and
the delivery of justice. In response to
our organizing and general concern
from CPCS and the community, the
Commission set out to update the
findings of a 1994 study by the bar
association entitled the “Callahan
Commission.”
The findings paint a bleak
picture, ‘the unvarnished
truth is the compensation is
so poor that it drives these
lawyers away from the criminal justice system or into the
ranks of the working poor.’
The findings paint a bleak picture, “the
unvarnished truth is the compensation is so poor that it drives these
lawyers away from the criminal justice
system or into the ranks of the working poor.” The interlocking drivers of
economic precarity among criminal
justice lawyers are low pay and high
student loans. Despite the Commonwealth priding itself as a national
leader, the “compensation of criminal
justice lawyers ranks dead last.” For
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perspective, the adjusted rank of
California public defenders ranks 1st
in the nation, with entry level attorneys earning $98,514.
Mass Defenders Join SEIU Custodians
to Save Jobs in Malden
The Commission calls for, among
other things, a 20% increase in
salaries, parity in compensation with
other public sector attorneys, and
rules that ensure bar advocates
receive fair compensation. It also calls
into question the contractor status of
bar advocates, positing that their
employment status may be misclassified, the effect being that the state is
able to deny them benefits and
potentially undercutting wages and
other benefits typical of direct
employment status.
The findings of the study are not
particularly surprising given that low
pay has been a topic for decades in
the Commonwealth’s justice system.
The dead last rankings for remuneration combined with recent pay bumps
for judges and police highlight the
need for action. Some of the more
powerful moments of the
Commission’s report come from
impacted workers’ own reflections.
David Grimaldi, formerly of Malden
District court: “I live no better than I
did when I was a first-year law student
at BC. In fact, I probably live less well. I
have no savings. I can’t save anything
for retirement, and there is no end in
sight.”
The Mass Defenders Union hopes to
expand on these findings and include
reflections from non-attorney staff
who perform vital work that make
CPCS such a well respected Public
Defense agency.
Upcoming Events
State Wide Organizing Meeting:
10:00 am Sat. October 18
@ the Worcester Office
330 Southwest Cutoff
Worcester, MA 01604
Defenders show solidarity at Malden rally to save good union jobs, from left to right:
(Brett Bauman, Rachel Scotch, Astrid af Klinteberg and David Twohig)
By Brett Bauman
Trial Attorney, Malden District Court
In May, several staff members from the
Malden District Court office walked
over to the Malden Center T stop to
show our support for the Malden
School custodians who are members of
SEIU Local 888. Among the crowd of
evening commuters, a large group was
chanting and rallying across from the
Malden City Hall. Many were seen
holding signs that read, among other
things, “Don’t Outsource Jobs to
Methuen,” “Save Quality Services,” and
“Malden Jobs for Local Residents.”
It was all in an effort to protect twentyeight custodians whose jobs were
being threatened by Gary Christenson,
Malden’s Mayor. Mayor Christenson
sought to outsource these jobs to a
private non-union company operating
out of Methuen, so the city wouldn’t
have to pay benefits or salaries for full
time employees. The result: many who
devoted their careers to serving the City
of Malden Public Schools would lose
their jobs.
Heartbreaking stories were
heard from many of these custodians.
One of the custodians, who devoted his
House Visits Nov. 8
Fall 2014
life and career to the City of Malden for
over twenty-seven years, talked about
his struggles. He discussed being called
in many late nights through blizzards to
shovel and de-ice the walkways so that
students and teachers could walk on
them safely. He even talked about
making the trek one year in a hurricane
to make sure his school was safe.
All in all, more than seventy-five people
rallied together to show their support.
For me, this was my first experience
picketing. I felt excited to be fighting
alongside others for a great cause.
Hopefully the school board and the City
of Malden heard the message. Regardless, it was surely inspiring to see a
group of people coming together for
other union members—people they
don’t even know, who are facing great
difficulties—who cannot fight these
injustices alone. It reminded me of the
work that all of the staff at CPCS does
every day.
Note: With support from the public and the
Malden City Council, the custodians stopped
the outsourcing plan and saved all 28 jobs.
The Deliberator
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